In the powerful and beautiful game of football, emotions often run high, and the aftermath of all that intensity is sometimes displyed in a touching spirit of sportsmanship.

Lionel Messi once swapped shirts with a Real Madrid legend

For football players, asking for the match-worn shirt of a fellow professional is the ultimate sign of respect between two footballers.

A chance for players to bond with opposing team players they admire. In Most cases, it is an average player attempting to track down the best opposition footballer on the pitch and asking the killer question—and hoping for the ideal response.

But even the greats have their own Idols. Every now and again a world-class player gets starstruck at their place of work and just cannot resist asking to swap shirts.